Astrophysicist, prolific Tweeter and Internet favorite Neil deGrasse Tyson had a pretty busy Christmas, which – depending on your level of online and/or social media engagement – you may or may not be aware of.

1. Be in Manhattan for the sunset. We cannot overstate how important this is. The event is not called Brooklynhenge (though we imagine a band with such a name will be popping up any day now), nor Queenshenge, nor Bronxhenge nor Statenhenge. The setting sun aligns with Manhattan's street grid only – sorry, outer boroughs.

2. Choose a street. Certain streets are better for this purpose than others. 42nd Street at Tudor City is widely regarded as the best place to see Manhattanhenge, which results in hilarious images like this.

Not since Steve Urkel's suave alter ego Stefan has there been a man of science in pop culture who also happens to be crush-worthy. Enter the new host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

At age 55 and married with two teenage kids, the esteemed astrophysicist might not seem like the typical heartthrob. But truth be told, he has a host of admirers.

"It started about 14 years and 25 pounds ago," Tyson tells PEOPLE. "In 2000, I was featured in PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive issue as the Sexiest Astrophysicist." Despite the accolade, "I didn't get big-headed about that," Tyson says, laughing. "You know, considering the category, it's not like I was the sexiest action star or anything."

It’s been nearly 35 years since Carl Sagan became a global celebrity hosting PBS’s guide to the universe, Cosmos. In that classic series he also originated the catchphrase "billions and billions," which can suggest the staggering immensity of the universe or, even more mind-boggling, the number of variations the Internet has created on "What character are you?" quizzes.

The arrival of sophisticated digital effects alone makes a fresh Cosmos worthwhile, and this new version – the producers, who include Seth MacFarlane, refer to it as a continuation – is great to look at.

We gaze into Jupiter’s whirling, churning red spot and dip down into Venus’s clouds. These are dense and unhealthy looking, like a spoiled dairy product suspended in water – not every marvel in the universe is going to be pretty.